From traditional dialectology to contemporary dialectology: the lexicon of the opossum (gambá) in the linguistic atlases of the Northeast – APFB, ALS and ALiB

Abstract

This article examines the methodological trajectory of Dialectology in Brazil by analyzing how the lexical field of fauna – specifically gamba – is treated in three documents representing different phases of Brazilian dialect research: the Atlas Prévio dos Falares Baianos (Rossi, 1963), the Atlas Linguístico de Sergipe (Ferreira et al., 1987) and the Atlas Linguístico do Brasil (Comitê Nacional do Projeto ALiB, 2001). By comparing structural differences among these atlases – such as network of survey points, informant profiles, questionnaire design and linguistic cartography – the study highlights the shift from a monodimensional Dialectology focused on diatopic description to a pluridimensional approach that incorporates extralinguistic and technological variables. The case of gamba – a species present in the Northeastern fauna and recurrent in all corpora – makes it possible to observe not only methodological innovations but also the continuity of lexical and cultural practices that shape the linguistic diversity of Brazilian Portuguese. This work contributes to studies on lexical variation and change and provides insight into the historical development of Brazilian, and especially Northeastern, Dialectology, tracing its path from traditional foundations to its contemporary directions.